My just turned 3 year old can read and write

[Rockean]

This isn’t a brag post, although. I’m pretty sure it’s going to come across like one.

My son just turned 3 and he can write his name, write basic/familiar words that he can sound out (the letters are recognisable) and he can sound out words when we look at books together. He loves playing with his magnetic letters and puts them together to create words, he can tell me what they say too.

He’s taught himself this through watching Alphablocks and reading books with us since he was tiny, particularly a phonics book that had all the sounds and alphabet written out with pictures of each letter of the alphabet next to them,

I’m just wondering if this is unusual?

He also doesn’t really play with toys, even though he has plenty of them, he'd much rather look at books and line up his alphabet letters or make words out of them. He’ll also sit with his magma doodle or white board and pen and just write things out. He’s done it at soft play when other kids are playing and I’ve bought his magma doodle.
I want him to play with toys too and I try to encourage him, but obviously I don’t want to discourage him from the books/letters and phonic sounds , but equally he’s going to know much more than most of his peers when he starts school, so I’m worried it’ll be boring for him.

My eldest could. He wrote a whole letter to Santa about Dr Who. I remember when he was two I saw him arrange the letters on the fridge to Cat and Mum.

My other two, no. Nothing like this. Just writing their names now in reception. I have done nothing differently. Some kids just can.

@Rockean

I’ve just had a quick look and I have suspected he’s on the autistic spectrum, but his speech is excellent and he always makes eye contact when you speak to him, he’s also very affectionate. He’s very sociable with other children as well. So I’m not sure.

He has a fantastic memory too.

He does seem to have sensory issues, he can’t stand the hand dryer in public toilets and babies crying set him off too.

Sounds like he could have what used to be called high functioning autism. Look out for signs is special interest - where he gets super obsessed with one topic- could be anything such as a particular animal, space, dinosaurs etc but something where all he wants to do is focus on that topic. His special interest at the moment could be the alphabet!

This is mumsnet, so I will say that by 18 months mine had all read Harry Potter independently. Alternatively, no, it’s very advanced and the level most kids are hitting when they’ve started school.

But as Didiusfalco says, it’s all good. Enjoy it while your child does!

My son (now in year 1) was like this at that age. Though, unlike your DS, he had delayed speech. He didn’t really say anything until he was 2.5, aside from his own sounds for numbers, letters and animals, which he loved/s.

Since then, we’ve realised he is both hyperlexic and hypernumeric - he had a reading vocabulary of an 8/9-year-old and could recall times tables up to 20 (and many other maths skills) before starting Reception. (Just to add, this was mainly self-taught via iPlayer, YouTube and his beloved calculator while I was trying to WFH during lockdown!)

School so far have not been amazing, eg they kept him on stage 1/2 reading books for months despite me asking (gently!) a few times whether he could try a higher stage. They did finally move him last term to stage 9. However, there are other areas he is less good at, eg creative and collaborative play, and I’m happy that he focuses on those rather than wanting to ‘hot house’ him in maths and English. (That said, I do worry that he could grow bored in class and this will affect his enthusiasm for school and/or his behaviour. I just don’t know how to raise it with his teacher without sounding like one of ‘those’ parents!)

Anyway, sorry to go on. I just wanted to say that if you have concerns about autism (as I did, with my son’s delayed speech and some other red flags when he was a toddler), it’s worth looking up Hyperlexia Type 3. My DS follows this profile to a tee. It’s not an officially recognised diagnosis as such, but there are HL3 parent support groups online that have been helpful for us.

Maybe use reading and writing to guide a role-play with him?

Some kids are just like that. DS17 was like this and with numbers too. He's not autistic, he was always just very academic. He's just finished his application to Oxford.

Thank you all - I had never heard of hyperlexia. Having looked it up, I can see this applies totally to DD(15), who also has autism. I had never connected her early reading with her autism (her pre-school had to buy in books for her, as they'd never had anyone that could already read before). We didn't know about autism then, and looking back there are so many signs that we just didn't connect. This is now another one.

Like get figures and when you are reading both play with the figures to act out the story?

You didn’t know about autism 15 years ago? Really?

I also can’t believe the pre-school had never had a child who could read. Ever. Maybe look around some other settings?

He sounds great, and no it isn't usual. Sounds like he has found something that really interests him. I'd embrace that and encourage his skills in this area.

My 3 year old DD could write her name and the names of all family members and pets, she could count to 100 and could speak English and some Arabic and French and could perform 2 digit equations.

Fast forward to now, she’s 8 years old and behind in every subject, to the point that the school advised we get her assessed.

Children progress at their own rate.

My eldest son knew most of the alphabet and numbers by just before 3 and could write l sentences at age four, think it just depends if it's interesting to them. He is 8 I say bright with English (not particularly creative writing) very good at Maths and science. But imo there is a few in his class that have caught up to his level, it was more unusual early on, and I think yes he is bright academically in certain subjects but nothing too unusual. Maths he loves because his dad loves it also and teaches him whenever he shows an interest (not from me whatsoever) Your son is interested and it's good but it's early days if you think he might be is gifted.

Hi OP, i was reading fluently at this age. I was diagnosed with autism recently. I also have great eye contact, was an early talker, and am very affectionate. Keep an open mind and encourage a variety of activities, but don't stress if the imaginary play never develops... It didn't with my son (also autistic, with fluent early speech, great eye contact and very affectionate).

My 2 were both reading well at 3 with my youngest being really good with numbers at that age too. The nursery pegged them both as geniuses and were really good at challenging them.

I’m happy to announce that they’re now both very average with very standard GCSE results and no Oxford applications 🤣

They do both really enjoy facts and regularly challenge each other with quizzes and languages so learning is something they enjoy but definitely not academic.

TBH all children are so different. Just enjoy your son and don’t analyse all his achievements. If I had turned the clock back 25 years…my children would be so different to how I would have expected!! 💐

I was like this as a child. My mum's aunt was a retired teacher and she spent a lot of time reading with me and teaching me to write. When I started primary school I had to have lone reading sessions because I was advanced and I hated it I felt really left out I still remember it now. I moved to a new school in primary 2 and I wasn't given any different treatment, I was in the highest reading groups through out primary until I got to secondary school where I just started messing around.

I don't read much these days, I am pretty good at spelling but other than that you would never know I was a genius toddler .

My 9 year old really struggled with reading and writing when she started school and my 4 year old is nowhere near ready to read or write. She can identify a couple of letters from the Alphabet and will try and copy her name. It sounds like you have a very clever little boy

My eldest dd could read at 2 1/2. She wasn’t taught as such, just exposed to books and knew the alphabet. I remember walking down the road with her on the back of the buggy and she read the road signs for nearby suburbs - it’s was weird.
Like some of the pps dcs, she was reading fluently well before she started school and could do simple arithmetic. The problem is finding books for a four or five year old that challenge their reading and comprehension abilities, but have age appropriate content, but libraries and book shops can help.
I think the thing to remember is that we all have different abilities (dd took forever to ride a bike and is still pretty uncoordinated now!) and these become apparent at school, especially in secondary school.
As some of the replies on here show, some people can be really arsey about a child who reads early, but you can’t help the fact that your child enjoys a certain activity. DD2 was always quite arty, but that never attracted the same attention as Dd1s reading and comprehension ability.
Things will level out at school, I’m sure, but he may always have an interest in language/s. Like your little boy DD1 spent ages with books and loved doing those pre school ‘workbooks’. She is 27 now and can speak 5 languages. Some things are just apparent at an early age.
Keep an eye on him because early reading can be a sign of a learning difference (a friend has an autistic son who is non verbal, but can obviously read, write and spell perfectly at just three) and encourage lots of different activities and social interaction and I’m sure you’ll raise a well rounded son.

Oh and my son would melt down at the hand dryer too!
I wish I'd known when he was 3 that he was autistic. Sigh. Would have helped a lot.

This sounds like my son at the same age.
He was later diagnosed with asd.
I do t want to scare you but it might be worth looking into.

@Rockean

I’ve just had a quick look and I have suspected he’s on the autistic spectrum, but his speech is excellent and he always makes eye contact when you speak to him, he’s also very affectionate. He’s very sociable with other children as well. So I’m not sure.

He has a fantastic memory too.

He does seem to have sensory issues, he can’t stand the hand dryer in public toilets and babies crying set him off too.

Social does not rule out autism Eye contact does not mean not asdit s about joint attention

Hyperlexia

Sensory issues

Get him assessed as may need different learning environment
For his abilities and sensory issues

When my daughter was three, she was in the car with her grandmother when she asked in a deadpan, monotone delivery "have you been a victim of domestic violence". When asked where that came from, she answered simply that it was a message on the back of a bus.
Twenty years later, she's bright but adorably average academically.

Doesn't it just depend on what they are interested in at that age?

He likes words and letters and reading.

My DS loved and still loves dinosaurs. And I spat my tea out when aged 4 he answered a question on university challenge about a dinosaur 😂 I'll never forget it

Q: what dinosaur has a bony head plate used to hedbutt opponents?

DS: Pachycephalosaurus

TV silent then one buzzed in with "parasopholus" and DS shouted "wrong" and the answer was: Pachycephalosaurus

I just sat there looking at DS.

He's no Einstein. I can assure you, more Ross from friends 😂

My two skipped Kindergarden as they could read, write and do simple arithmetic.(spelling was pretty bad but their stories could be read phonetically) Moving up a year solved the boredom problem and they fitted in socially ok even though a year younger than their classmates. They weren't particularly interested in toys but very keen on sport. Both have Masters degrees and went on to have excellent careers.
I expect your son had early speech development and lots of parental interaction, doesn't ever throw a tantrum and is excellent at negotiation to get what he wants.
From my experience the parents interaction with the child leads to early speech and reading plus manual dexterity if arts and crafts are encouraged.

My son is the same age as yours and about the same level in terms of reading and writing. He's also ridiculously good at maths. I'm fairly certain it's unusual, but it's very hard to start a conversation about it with other people without them thinking you're lying / bragging (as demonstrated by some of the responses on this thread!).

OP you're brave with a thread like this.

You know your child best, don't like armchair doctors make you think differently.

You probably just have a very bright child whose interest is letters and reading. Enjoy him and if YOU feel he needs an assessment then do it.